Dancer’s Pose – Natarajasana: Step-by-Step Guide

Dancer’s Pose, or Natarajasana, is a graceful standing balance that stretches and strengthens the body. It requires flexibility, strength, and concentration, making it a great pose for improving balance and building flexibility in the hips, chest, and shoulders. Here’s how to perform Dancer’s Pose with proper alignment.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Starting Position: Begin in Tadasana (Mountain Pose), standing tall with your feet hip-width apart. Press firmly and evenly through both feet. Take a point on eye level to focus your gaze, helping to improve balance.

2. Bend the Left Knee: Exhale and bend your left knee, bringing your left foot toward your buttock. With your left hand, hold the outside of your left foot, making sure to keep the torso upright and the chest open.

3. Engage the Standing Leg: Firm the right hip in and engage your right thigh and knee to make the standing leg strong. This will help you maintain stability in the pose.

4. Lengthen the Spine: Lengthen your tailbone down to keep the spine aligned. As you inhale, push your left foot back into your left hand, raising your leg so that the thigh becomes parallel to the floor, with your lower leg at a 90-degree angle to the thigh and vertical to the floor.

5. Extend the Arms: You can lift your right arm up in front of you, keeping it parallel to the floor, or slightly raise it next to your ear for more extension.

6. Hold the Pose: Stay in Dancer’s Pose for 5-10 breaths, continuing to press your foot into your hand while maintaining your balance and focus.

7. Coming Out of the Pose: To come out of the pose, gently release the left foot as you exhale and return to the starting position. Repeat the pose on the other side.

Beginner’s Tips:

• Balance Assistance: If you struggle with balance, try doing the pose near a wall for extra support. This will help you maintain stability while you work on the alignment and flexibility required.

• Using a Belt: If you find it difficult to hold onto your foot, use a yoga belt. Loop the belt around your left foot and drape it over your shoulder from the back. Then, walk your hands down the belt, elbows pointing upward, and slowly lift the foot into the air.

Benefits of Dancer’s Pose:

• Strengthens the Body: This pose strengthens the feet, ankles, legs, core, back, and arms, helping to build overall body strength and stability.
• Opens the Front Body: Dancer’s Pose stretches the chest, abdomen, hip flexors, and shoulders, promoting flexibility in these areas.
• Improves Balance and Concentration: This is a challenging balance pose that improves focus, concentration, and coordination.

Things to Watch Out For:

• Knee Alignment: Don’t lock the knee of the standing leg. Instead, keep a slight micro-bend in the knee to avoid straining the joint.

• Warm-Up: Since Dancer’s Pose is a deep backbend, make sure to properly warm up before attempting it. Sequence this pose after other backbends, such as Cobra, Locust, and Bow Pose, to prepare your body for the stretch.

Variations to Try:

• Hold the Foot with Both Hands: For a deeper chest stretch, you can hold onto your bent leg with both hands. However, this requires a good level of balance, so make sure you feel stable before attempting it.

• Hold the Foot from the Inside: Another variation is to grab the inside of your foot instead of the outside. This changes the stretch in the shoulder slightly and can deepen the stretch in the chest and hip flexors.

Dancer’s Pose (Natarajasana) is an elegant posture that strengthens the body while improving flexibility and balance. If you’re looking for yoga classes in North York, Serenev Studio offers three distinctive practices: Hatha Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, and Kundalini Yoga. Register today for a class or contact Serenev North York Yoga for more details.